Clinical Eponyms
S-T

 

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This list is available for the Palm Pilot at Andrew Yee's website.

Sabin-Feldman dye test
 Sserum titer rises in toxoplasma infection
Sabouraud’s agar
 For growing fungi, low pH of medium and chloramphenicol and cycloheximide
Saint’s triad
 1. cholelithiasis, 2. hiatal hernia, 3. diverticular disease
Salus’s sign
 Deflection of veins at AV crossings in hypertensive retinopathy (grade 2); c.f. Bonnet’s and Gunn’s sign
Samter’s triad
 Nasal polyps, bronchial asthma, aspirin sensitivity
Santorini, duct of
 Dorsal duct of pancreas, embryologically, the biggest duct, clinically the smaller pancreatic duct
Santos’s syndrome
 Hirschsprung’s disease with renal agenesis, polydactyly, hypertelorism, and deafness
Saturday night palsy
 Radial neuropathy from compression at the spiral groove
Scahmberg’s disease
 Idiopathic capillaritis in which inflammation weakens capillaries, causes petechial lesions like cayenne pepper
Schamroth’s window test
 For testing clubbing
Schatzki’s ring
 Esophageal rings and webs in lower esophagus, located at or just above the squamocolumnar junction; most common cause of intermittent solid food obstruction
Schaumann’s bodies
 Laminated concretions composed of calcium and proteins, seen in granulomatous diseases (e.g. sarcoidosis)
Schick’s test
 For testing immune status to Cornyebacterium diphtheriae, intradermal injection of 0.1 mL of purified standardized toxin; if no inflammation, antitoxin present
Schilling test
 First stage, measuring cobalamin (B12) absorption by determining how much p.o. radioactive cobalamin is excreted in urine over 24 to 48 hours (after i.m. inj inj B12 to saturate the transcobalamines and to "flush" orally absorbed radiolabeled B12 into the urine). Second stage, test repeated with oral intrinsic factor, should normalize B12 absorption in pernicious anemia but not in intestinal malabsorption
Schirmer’s test
 Measures quantity of tears secreted in 5 minutes in response to irritation from a filter strip placed under each lower eyelid; normal young person moistens 15 mm; 33% of elderly wet only 10 mm in 5 minutes; in Sjögren’s syndrome, <5 mm in 5 min, 85% sensitivity, 85% specificity
Schlesinger’s solution
 Morphine and scopolamine
Schmidt metaphyseal chondrodysplasia
 Mutation in collagen X, mechanical pressure reduces growth
Schmidt’s syndrome
 Type II polyglandular syndrome, coexistent adrenal and thyroid disease, sometimes accompanied by IDDM
Schober test
 Measures distraction between 2 marks on the skin during forward flexion in ankylosing spondylitis
Schwartz’s dictum
 No acid, no ulcer
Scott syndrome
 Defect in primary homeostasis, prolonged PT, deficient in platelet coagulant activity which provides the phospholipid surface and landing pad for prothrombinase in the presence of calcium
Segawa syndrome
 Hereditary progressive dystonia with marked diurnal fluctuaion from defect in GTP cyclohydrase I, cofactor for synthesis of dopamine; dystonia treatable with levodopa
Seldinger technqiue
 Guide wire-assisted vascular cannulation, i.e., small-bore needle first used to enter vessel, then wire passed through needle, needle removed, leaving wire in place for guiding cannulation of vessel, developed in 1953
Seligmann’s disease
 Alpha heavy chain disease, characterized by infiltration of the lamina propria of the small intestine with lymphoplasmacytoid cells that secrete truncated alpha chains
Senear-Usher syndrome
 Pemphigus erythematosus; a localized variety of pemphigus foliaceus confined to seborrheic sites
Sengstaken-Blakemore tube
 Tube a double-balloon system, one for stomach, one for esophagus, for tamponade of bleeding varices
Sever’s disease
 Apophysitis of the calcaneus, common (but frequently source of heel pain), condition occurs before or during the peak growth spurt, often resolves two weeks or two months after initiation of conservative treatment
Sézary’s syndrome
 Rare special variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma characterized by generalized or universal erythroderma, peripheral lymphadenopathy, and cellular infiltrates of atypical lymphocytes (Sézary cells) in the skin and blood
Sézary-Lutzner cells
 Found in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, T-helper cells that characteristically form band-like aggregates within the superficial dermis and invade the epidermis as single cells and small clusters (Pautrier’s microabscesses)
Sheehan’s syndrome
 Postpartum pituitary necrosis, syndrome results from sudden infarction of the anterior lobe precipitated by obstetric hemorrhage or shock (pregnancy, pituitary enlarges to almost twice its normal size, compressing blood supply)
Shiraz dwarfism
 Zinc deficiency, in Iran, short stature and aspermia
Shohl’s solution
 Alkalinizing citrate solution in hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism associated with renal tubular acidosis associated with diabetic nephropathy
Shulman’s syndrome
 Eosinophilic fascitis
Shwartzman reaction
 Two iv injections of sublethal lipopolysaccharide, 24 hrs apart, causing DIC in rabbits; TNF obligatory mediator
Shy-Drager syndrome
 Degenerative disorder characterized by parkinsonian features (leading to postural hypotension, anhidrosis, disturbance of sphincter control, impotence, etc.) And signs of more widespread neurologic involvement (pyramidal or lower motor neuron signs and often a cerebellar deficit)
Siegrist streaks
 Linear hyperpigmented areas over choroidal vessels in hypertensive retinopathy
sign of Cabrera
 Nochin at 0.05s in ascending limb of S wave in V3, V4; 27% sens for MI
signe de Dance
 In intussusception, in the common enterocolic variety, almost from the beginning of the illness the right iliac fossa will appear empty on palpation due to the taking up of the cecum into the advancing invagination
silk glove sign
 Indirect hernia sac in the pediatric patient; the sac feels like a finger of a silk glove when rolled under the examining finger
Simmond’s disease
 Pituitary cachexia (e.g. from Sheehan’s syndrome)
Sims-Huhner test
 Post coital test, done 2-4 hrs after intercourse to assess number and motility of sperm that have entered the cervical canal
singers’s nodule
 Is a small, benign laryngeal polyp, usually induced by chronic irritation, such as excessive use of the voice, and is associated most commonly with heavy cigarette smoking; is usually localized to the true vocal cords
Sipple’s syndrome
 MEN type IIa; pheochromocytoma, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, and hyperparathyroidism due to hyperplasia or tumor
Sister Mary Joseph nodule
 Abdominal carcinoma, especially gastric, may metastasize to the navel; Sister Joseph, in the early days of the Mayo Clinic, noted periumbilical nodules in patients with intraabdominal cancer
Sjögren’s syndrome
 Lymphocytic infiltration affects salivary and lacrimal glands and is associated with dry mouth and dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca); may have either interstitial pulmonary fibrosis or a lymphocytic infiltration of the alveolar walls (may have a malignant transformation with the development of a lymphoma)
Skirrow’s medium
 Contains vancomycin, trimethoprim, cephalothin, polymixin, and amphotericin B; for growing e.g. Campylobacter
Smith’s fracture
 Opposite of Colle’s fracture; fracture of the distal radius, but from falling on the dorsum of the hand
Sneddon’s syndrome
 Livedo reticularis associated with stroke-like episodes
Somogyi phenomenon
 Rebound hyperglycemia following an episode of hypoglycemia due to counter-regulatory hormone release
space of Retzius
 The preperitoneal space anterior to the bladder
Spigelian hernia
 Hernia through the linea semilunaris, aka spontaneous lateral ventral hernia
spiral valves of Heister
 Found in the neck of the gallbladder, where tiny folds of mucosal epithelium coalesce to form these valves, may assist in retaining bile between meals
St. Anthony’s fire
 Ergotism; disease caused by excess ergot alkaloid; classically an epidemic caused by consumption of grain that’s contaminated by the ergot fungus; any of several inflammations or gangrenous conditions of the skin (erysipelas)
St. Vitus’s dance
 Q.v. Sydenham’s chorea
Stauffer’s syndrome
 Elevation of LFTs due to cholestasis in renal cell carcinoma
Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome
 Aka progressive supranuclear palsy
Stein-Leventhal syndrome
 Polycystic ovarian disease
Stellwag’s sign
 Incomplete and infrequent blinking in Graves’s disease
Stevens-Johnson syndrome
 Extensive and symptomatic febrile form of erythema multiforme, more common in children; 1-6 cases/million person-years
Stewart-Treve syndrome
 Lymphedema following mastectomy leading to lymphangiosarcoma
Stickler syndrome
 Mild spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, osteoarthritis, and sensorineural hearing loss, some forms associated with a dominant negative mutation in the human COL11A2 gene encoding the 2(XI) chain; another form of Stickler syndrome from mutation in COL2A1
Still’s disease, adult onset
 Polyarthritis associated with sudden onset of high spiking fever, sore throat, and an evanescent erythematous salmon-colored rash
Still’s murmur
 Described by George Still in 1909; normal vibratory midsystolic murmur; innocent murmur
Stockholm syndrome
 Victims sympathizing with victimizer, e.g., kidnapper
Stokes-Adams attacks
 Fainting spells associated with complete heart block (or other types of bradycardia)
Stroop test
 Stress test, also used for checking frontal function, where patients are tested for the ability to read off the text color of text spelling potentially different colors
Sturge-Weber syndrome
 Association of port-wine stain with vascular malformations in the eye (glaucoma) and leptomeninges and superficial calcifications of the brain; attributed to faulty development of certain mesodermal and ectodermal elements, and associated with mental retardation, seizures, hemiplegia, and radiopacities in the skull
Sudeck’s syndrome
 Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome occurring in older people characterized by bony changes and muscle atrophy but not necessarily associated with trauma
Sweet’s syndrome
 Acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis or Sweet syndrome, initially described in 1964 by Robert Sweet. It is characterized fever, neutrophilic leucocytosis, abrupt appearance of erythematous, painful, cutaneous plaques and dense dermal infiltrate consisting of mature neutrophils without vasculitis signs.
Sydenham’s chorea
 Aka St. Vitus’s dance A postinfectious chorea appearing several months after a streptococcal infection with subsequent rheumatic fever. The chorea typically involves the distal limbs and is assoc. with hypotonia and emotional lability. Improvement occurs over weeks or months and exacerbations occur without assoc. infection occurrence.
Sylvian aqueduct
 Cerebral aqueduct of the midbrain that connects the third and fourth ventricle

 

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Takayasu’s disease
 Aortic arch syndrome, pulseless disease; panarteritis of the great vessels that’s most common in Asian women
Tamm Horsfall protein
 Uromodulin, major component of renal casts; 30-50 mg secreted per day by cells in thick ascending limb; homologous to GP2, a protein secreted from the acinar cell and a major component of plugs in non-calcific chronic pancreatitis
Tangier disease
 Rare recessive disease characterized by enlarged orange tonsils, peripheral neuropathy affecting small fibers involved in in pain and temperature, and a near-complete absence of HDL-cholesterol; ABC1, the ATP binding-cassette transporter 1 gene, mutated in TD; gene mediates efflux of cholesterol from cells
Tay-Sachs disease
 Autosomal recessive; GM2 gangliosidosis, results from mutations that affect chr15 and cause a severe deficiency in hexosaminidase A; blindness and cherry-red spot
Terry’s nails
 Mostly whitish with a distal band of reddish brown; may be seen with aging and in people with chronic diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, congestive heart failure, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes; seen in 10% of uremics
Terson’s syndrome
 Intra-vitreous hemorrhage associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage
tetralogy of Fallot
 1. ventricular septal defect; 2. infundibular, valvar, or supravalvar pulmonic stenosis; 3. an anteriorly displaced aorta that receives blood from both ventricles; 4. right ventricular hypertrophy
Thompson's test
 Verifies if gastrocnemius-soleus complex intact; squeeze calf belly, foot should plantar flex
Thomsen’s disease
 Myotonia congenita
Tietze syndrome
 Discomfort localized in swelling of the costochondral and costosternal joints, which are painful on palpation; may be perceived as breast pain
thumb sign
 In Marfan’s disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and similar syndromes, thumb protrudes from clenched fist
Tinel’s sign
 A sensation of tingling or pins and needles felt in distal extremity when percussion is made over the site of an injured nerve; it indicates a partial lesion or early regeneration of the nerve; 60% sens, 67% spec
Todd's paralysis
 Transient hemiparesis in postictal period, suggests focal brain lesion as cause, warrants further investigation
Toldt, white lines of
 The peritoneal reflections of the ascending and descending colon
Tolosa-Hunt syndrome
 Idiopathic inflammation of the cavernous sinus producing painful palsy of third, fourth, or sixth cranial nerve
Tourette’s syndrome
 Chronic multiple motor and verbal tics, symptoms typically begin before 21 y.o., first signs motor tics in 80% and vocal tics in 20% but eventually both motor and vocal; higher than expected number of left-handedness and ambidexterity; 40-50% involve self-mutilation such as nail-biting, hair-pulling, etc.
Towne’s view
 AP view with the X ray tube angled caudad to show the occipital bone
Traube’s sign
 In aortic regurgitation "pistol shot sounds" referring to booming systolic and diastolic sounds over the femoral artery
Traube’s space
 A crescentic space about 12 cm wide, bounded medially by the left border of the sternum, above by an oblique line from the 6th costal cartilage to the lower border of the 8th or 9th rib in the mid-axillary line and below by the costal margin; the percussion tone here is normally tympanitic, because of the underlying stomach, but is modified by pulmonary emphysema, a pleural effusion, or an enlarged spleen
Treacher Collins syndrome
 First arch syndrome, mandibulofacial dysplasia, caused by AD gene, resulting in malar hypoplasia with down-slanting palpebral fissures, defects in the lower eyelids, deformed external ears, and sometimes abnormalities of the middle and internal ears
Trietz, ligament of
 The suspensory muscle of the duodenum which supports the duodenojejunal flexure
Trousseau’s sign
 In hypocalcemia and latent tetany, carpal spasm induced by occluding the brachial artery for 3 min with an inflated BP cuff
Trousseau’s syndrome
 Migratory thrombophlebitis, may be encountered with deep-seated cancers, most often with carcinomas of the pancreas or lung
Turcot’s syndrome
 Rare variant of familial adenomatous polyposis, with combination of adenomatous colonic polyposis and tumors of the CNS, mostly glioblastoma multiforme
Turner’s syndrome
 Females with XO, short, low-set ears, shield chest, congenital heart defect (usually coarctation), café-au-lait spots, freckles, webbed neck, lymphedema
Tzanck smear
 Cytologic technique most often used in the diagnosis of herpesvirus infections (simplex or varicella-zoster); multinucleated giant cells suggest the presence of herpes; named after Arnault Tzanck

 

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From Andrew Yee, Harvard Med '00